Chapter 4: He Jiaqing's Mouth

Li Banfeng sat in the hospital room with his eyes fixed on He Jiaqing, who lay motionless in the hospital bed.

After two full days of emergency treatment, the doctors managed to save He Jiaqing's life. However, he had slipped into a deep coma, and no one knew when he would wake up.

The cause of the coma remained a mystery. The hospital hadn't proposed a treatment plan yet. According to them, the next step in treatment would depend not only on He Jiaqing's condition but also on how much money he and Li Banfeng had left.

Li Banfeng had poured all the money he had reserved for his living expenses into He Jiaqing's medical bills. A portion of the bills was covered by insurance, but there was still so much left to pay that his contribution was like a drop in the ocean. It wasn't nearly enough.

He Jiaqing had some savings on his card, but Li Banfeng couldn't withdraw any of it because he didn't know the PIN. He thought of reaching out to He Jiaqing's family, but even though the two of them were close, he didn't have any of their contact information. He didn't even have Lu Xiaolan's number.

If this went on, Li Banfeng wouldn't even have money for his next meal. They might not be able to keep He Jiaqing on oxygen either.

Fortunately, things took a turn on the third day. A man named He Haisheng appeared and said he was He Jiaqing's third uncle. Li Banfeng had never met him before, but that didn't matter because he paid off the medical bills upfront.

Someone who took the initiative to pay was most likely not a scammer—assuming, of course, that the payment really went through.

"You're Li Banfeng, right? The university said you've been taking care of Jiaqing these past few days. It must've been tough on you," He Haisheng said to Li Banfeng as he peeled an apple and handed it to him.

Li Banfeng took a bite of the apple and began to explain the situation. "Well, here's what happened—"

However, He Haisheng cut him off.

"We'll talk about that later." He Haisheng pulled out his wallet and handed Li Banfeng a stack of cash. "This is just a small token of appreciation. I hope it's not too little."

"I'm not short on money. Jiaqing needs it more right now," Li Banfeng replied.

Actually, he really needed the money. He didn't even have enough for his next meal. Nevertheless, he didn't want to accept it.

He Haisheng shoved the money firmly into Li Banfeng's coat pocket. "This is just a token of appreciation. I have no other intentions. If you don't take it, I'll think you're saying it's not enough!"

He Haisheng then sat in silence for a moment before letting out a sigh. "The school called home and said that something unfortunate happened to Jiaqing. I thought Second Brother and his wife would come right away, but the two of them turned out to be completely unreliable. It's my fault for showing up late and putting you through so much. Banfeng, go home and get some rest. I'll take care of things here."

With that, Li Banfeng walked out of the hospital room. He hadn't really slept in the past three days and was indeed tired. As he made his way down the corridor, his legs felt weak and unsteady.

Just as he was almost at the elevator, his phone suddenly buzzed.

Ka-da-da~

It was a message, and the sender was He Jiaqing.

Li Banfeng frowned at once.

The message was pretty much the same as before. It read "Bro, save me."

Li Banfeng quickly typed a reply.

Li Banfeng: Who are you?

He Jiaqing: I'm He Jiaqing.

Li Banfeng: Where did you get this phone?

He had seen He Jiaqing off at the train station, watched him board the train, and then somehow found him back in his own bed. Before that, he had called He Jiaqing. After that, he received a text from him.

The whole situation was so bizarre that Li Banfeng couldn't make any sense of it. But no matter how bizarre the events were, the outcome was the same.

The fact was that He Jiaqing was lying in a hospital bed. He had no ID or phone on him, but Li Banfeng was absolutely sure. That was definitely He Jiaqing, and there was no way he could be mistaken.

That raised the question: Who had answered the phone that night, and who was texting him just now?

The only explanation that made sense was that He Jiaqing's phone had been lost. Someone must have picked it up, answered the call that night while imitating He Jiaqing's voice, and fooled Li Banfeng. And now, that same person was texting him again.

But why would someone who picked up the phone still try to contact me? Isn't this classic phone scam behavior? I should report this to the police.

Li Banfeng was convinced that He Jiaqing's coma had something to do with this person.

There was no reply for a long time.

Then, the elevator arrived.

Just as Li Banfeng put away his phone and was about to head downstairs, a middle-aged man stepped in front of him. He had a broad forehead, long cheeks, and a thin frame.

The man smiled and pulled out an ID from inside his jacket. "I am with the police. You're Li Banfeng, right? I have a few questions about He Jiaqing."

He looked to be in his fifties and spoke in a raspy voice, like he had phlegm caught in his throat.

I was just about to report this, and now the police show up?

Li Banfeng really wanted to get a better look at the ID, but the man slipped it back into his jacket and leaned over to whisper something to a nearby doctor in a white coat.

The doctor seemed to know the man well. He led both of them into an empty hospital room. After closing the door behind them, he left, leaving just Li Banfeng and the middle-aged man inside. They sat facing each other on two hospital beds placed side by side.

"Don't be nervous," the man said with a friendly smile. "My surname's Chen. Just call me Old Chen. I only have a few questions. You were the one who brought He Jiaqing to the hospital, right?"

"Yes, I did," Li Banfeng replied with a nod.

"How did you realize something was wrong with him?"

"He was lying in my bed. His complexion and breathing didn't look right, so I called emergency services right away."

Old Chen nodded and gave Li Banfeng a quick glance from head to toe. There was a slight change in his expression as he studied his face. For some reason, he was not staring at Li Banfeng's eyes, but focusing on his forehead.

"I heard you two were drinking together that day?"

Li Banfeng nodded. "Yes! He was going back home, so I saw him off."

"You saw him off?"

"Yes. I took him to the train station, then took the subway back on my own. But when I got back to the dorm, I found him asleep in my bed."

What Li Banfeng said didn't make any sense. If He Jiaqing had gone to the train station, how could he have ended up back in the dorm? And in Li Banfeng's bed, no less?

Yet, Old Chen didn't seem the least bit surprised. He seemed relaxed and still kept his eyes fixed on Li Banfeng's forehead.

"Did you and He Jiaqing have any conflicts?"

Conflicts?

Li Banfeng gave it some thought.

I've looked through some of his girlfriend's pictures. Does this count as conflict?

Regardless, it was clear that wasn't the point. The real issue was the implication behind the question.

Li Banfeng looked at Old Chen calmly and said, "Are you suspecting that I did something to He Jiaqing?

Old Chen shook his head. "I wouldn't say I suspect you. It was just a question. If I really suspected you, we wouldn't be having this chat here. I heard you have some kind of mental condition?"

Li Banfeng nodded. "I do have a minor mental health issue, but I'm not crazy. You're welcome to check my medical records. I saw He Jiaqing and Lu Xiaolan off at the train station. They were going home together. You can confirm that with Lu Xiaolan."

"Lu Xiaolan..." Old Chen muttered. He took out a cigarette, glanced at the hospital room, decided it wasn't the place, and put it back in the pack.

Old Chen continued questioning. "And who exactly is this Lu Xiaolan you mentioned?"

"She's He Jiaqing's girlfriend. We're from the same university," Li Banfeng replied. "I brought them both to the train station, and she got on the train with him. She can vouch for me."

"If they both got on the train, then how did He Jiaqing end up back at your dorm?"

"I don't know," Li Banfeng answered honestly. "You should ask Lu Xiaolan. They were together the whole time."

"Do you have her contact information?"

"I don't, but the school should have it. You should also be able to find her through the train ticket records."

"Which train were they on?"

"How would I know..." Li Banfeng muttered. He paused for a moment, then suddenly, a string of numbers came to mind.

Train 1160.

Recalling the voice of the train station announcer, Li Banfeng said, "Train 1160. They were on train 1160."

Old Chen rubbed his fingers against his upper lip. His thoughts had hit a dead end, and he wanted a cigarette. "Sounds like Lu Xiaolan won't be easy to find either."

Li Banfeng didn't understand. "Why not?"

Still rubbing the stubble above his lip, Old Chen said slowly, "The night this horrendous incident happened to He Jiaqing, train 1160 derailed and fell off a cliff. So far, no survivors have been found."

Li Banfeng blinked. It felt like thunder was rolling through his mind, echoing with He Jiaqing's voice.

"She sleeps harder than I do. She sleeps like a pig. Even if the train derailed, she wouldn't wake up!"

And now the train indeed derailed, and Lu Xiaolan might really be dead.

Does He Jiaqing's mouth have some kind of divine power? Like he can speak things into existence? Or had he already known something would happen?

He said Lu Xiaolan had lied to him. Maybe it wasn't just about Ms. Song's buttcheeks after all.

Why exactly did he ask me to call him once I got back to the dorm?

Old Chen continued staring at Li Banfeng's forehead as he asked softly, "What are you thinking about?"

Li Banfeng shook his head. "Nothing. Just worried about Lu Xiaolan."

Old Chen seemed intrigued. "What was your relationship with Lu Xiaolan like? Was there something going on between the three of you?"

"Are you trying to say it was some kind of love triangle?" Li Banfeng asked as the corner of his mouth curled into a slight smile. He was feeling a little angry.